Modern Baseball - 01.01.13

I caught up with Philly's new favorite export, Modern Baseball, in the aftermath of releasing their debut album, Sports, to talk about the album, 2012 and the bright future.

Who is Modern Baseball and how did the band come around?

Modern Baseball is Jake Ewald, Brendan Lukens, Sean Huber and Ian Farmer. The band started when Jake and Brendan became best friends from Brendan dating Jake's twin sister. The band lasted way longer than their relationship.

How's 2012 been for you? What were the high points and low points?

2012 has really been everything for us. We put out a split with Marietta and went on a baby tour with them. We are most proud of recording and releasing Sports, our first full length on Lame-O Records, and booking our winter tour for the end of the year.

Congratulations on Sports! You've created quite a buzz round these parts with it. What do you think of the reaction to it?

Thank you! We're completely overwhelmed with the response we've been getting from everyone. We weren't expecting anything like this. We're just really happy that people are enjoying it so much. Also Greg from The Menzingers tweeted the other day that our record rules, and we all peed our pants.

How was the process behind the release? How long did it take?

We recorded the album ourselves in the spring, which took about a month. We were really busy with school so were limited to late night sessions, which were very… memorable experiences. We had it mixed in the summer and released it digital and on vinyl courtesy of Lame-O Records.

The lyrics on the album are pretty memorable. Are they based on personal experiences?

Yes. Unfortunately, all of them are.

It feels like there's a pretty continuous theme within the album. Did you mean for that?

All of the songs on the record were written about and during Brendan and Jake's early experiences in college. They were going through a lot of the same stuff at the same time, so we feel it ended up kinda cohesive. We also spent a lot of time ordering the tracks to make sure the album felt complete.

Is there anything you'd change about the release now?

Not really. Maybe more breakdowns.

What can fans expect from your upcoming tour dates?

Odor and awkwardness. No, but really we are trying to get a good balance of Sports and all of older material.

What're your hopes and plans for 2013?

We're gonna try to play more shows outside Philly and in areas we haven't been able to play, write more songs and eat more burritos.

What bands are you jamming at the moment?

We love Philly bands. We're jamming Luther, Captain We're Sinking, Hop Along, Kite Party and Ma Jolie who are all right around the corner from us. Our manager also makes us listen to The Halo Benders and New Order.